Dotty’s loses, Genting hesitates, Penn adapts

Look at that picture. Seriously, keep looking. Does that seem like a tavern to you? A casino? Some curious hybrid? For years the Clark County Commission has been grappling with the vexing Giunchiglianiquestions posed by the rapidly growing Dotty’s chain of slot parlors. With only Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani (left) dissenting, the board voted to require slot parlors (read: Dotty’s) to install full kitchens, pronto, or face the wrath of the law. (Giunchigliani favored giving them a six-month phase-in period.) Although it’ll cost his company $10 million, Dotty’s COO Mike Eide was stoic: “We’ll adapt.”

Under the new regulation, “incidental” gaming revenue has to be less than 50% of total revenues. Slot parlors that exceed that threshold will have to cut down from 15 machines to seven. Compliant, post-2011 parlors won’t be affected, neither will non-compliant ones that predate 2006. So it’s largely a win for Golden Gaming and Station Casinos, with a bone or two flung Dotty’s way.

* Genting Group continues waffling on Resorts World Las Vegas, in part due to a high cost of capital. The projected opening date is in an unspecified part of 2017. Were not so much of the skeleton of Echelon being incorporated into RWLV, one would be skeptical of that timeline. The company, however, seems much more gung-ho on upstate New York, whereas it “will most likely continue” with its Las Vegas Strip project. The hesitation is a little hard to understand at a time when Genting has $4.35 billion in cash and credit on tap, against only $580 million in debt, according to The Star Online.

* Penn National Gaming‘s Hollywood Perryville has fallen more than 50% short of the revenues projected at its opening. That being said, the casino has defied the odds by being consistently profitable, reverting to the business model of a locals casino. General Manager Matthew Heiskell tells the Washington Post that “It is almost a neighborhood bar of a casino. Everybody knows everybody.” Star attractions are trivia night and a local cover band. Apparently it’s working, especially with patrons who are put off by the bigger casinos down the road (Horseshoe Baltimore gets an unflattering mention or two). It even welcomes card counters — provided they come alone.

It’s been a bumpy ride for Hollywood Perryville, with slot revenue (and slot inventory) falling after Maryland Live! opened in Ann Arundel County. The introduction of table games provided a boost, but Maryland Live! truncated that, too. These vicissitudes have affected the casino’s revenue stream to Perryville and have had a retardant effect on local infrastructure projects that were supposed to be funded with casino lucre. However, it’s making up for cutbacks in state aid and riding out the impact of Horseshoe better than expected.

* It’s rainy season in Las Vegas, which is a good excuse to bring you this gorgeous photo essay from Vital Vegas, a loving tribute to Downtown and proof that a little precipitation makes neon twice as beautiful.

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